ESCONDIDO, Calif.-- The largest building fire in the city's history destroyed four condominium buildings under construction in downtown Escondido on Thursday after forcing the evacuation of more than 500 schoolchildren, store employees and shoppers.
Whipped into a fiery fury by 15 mph winds and fueled by tinder-dry wood in the unfinished four-story buildings, the blaze hurled flames 300 feet high and launched a swirling column of thick black smoke 1,000 feet into an otherwise clear blue sky. The smoke was seen from as far away as the North County coastline. No one has reported hurt as of Thursday night.
Escondido fire Chief Victor Reed estimated the giant fire caused $6.6 million in damage, based on the complex's estimated construction cost, and was expected to continue burning into today.
"We have a lot of rubble in there and it's burning underneath," Reed said.
Despite spreading in minutes from one building to the next and raining embers over a wide area, no injuries to firefighters or condominium workers were reported, he said.
Terri Ryan of Escondido, an eyewitness who said she saw the fire break out, said she saw a worker apparently trying to escape.
"I saw a man up there just as soon as it began," Ryan said. "I saw a tiny speck of smoke and a man with a hard hat coming down from near the top floor. Within five minutes, most of the building was involved."
Reed said everyone got out safely.
"This is undoubtedly the largest structure fire we've ever had in Escondido," the chief said. Reed said the city has witnessed other large building fires, but none that caused so much damage to so many buildings.
Igniting on the third or fourth floor of the building on the southwest side of the five-building Paramount complex, the 1:48 p.m. fire quickly spread to structures east and north of there, firefighters said. Two buildings collapsed. Two others were gutted.
At one point, embers caught the tar paper roof of Chin's Szechwan Restaurant on fire, but firefighters pounced on the blaze and quickly doused it.
"I feel very lucky," said Chin Tsai, the restaurant's owner. "It (the feeling) is much better than winning a Las Vegas jackpot. I told my manager to get everybody out. 'Don't worry about anything,' I said, 'Just get out.' "
Firefighters feared that the blaze could spread to nearby businesses in the tightly packed shopping center south of the town homes, but managed to confine the flames to the construction zone.
Firefighters had less success saving the condominiums, two of which were fully engulfed upon arrival and all of which were so close together they could not get between them.
"It was extremely dangerous for the firefighters to get between the buildings," Reed said. "We made the decision early on that this would be a defensive firefight."
Because of its size, Escondido police Lt. Mark Wrisley said the FBI sent in a four-person domestic terrorist unit to check for signs that the blaze might have been caused by a group intent on sabotaging the condo complex. He said there was no immediate indication of such a plot.
Reed said investigators believe the fire was human-caused and probably an accident, although as of Thursday night they had not ruled out the possibility of arson.
Reed said the fire was caused by humans, but that firefighters were not sure if it was accidental or arson.
Workers at the scene said it might have started with an electrical spark. Rumors swirled that the blaze may have been kindled by sparks from welding equipment, but Reed said investigators had not confirmed that.
Whatever the cause, it didn't help that the unfinished structures, still surrounded by scaffolding, had large sections of exposed dry wood.
"It's been cold. It's been dry," Reed said. "The wood's been sitting here for months, drying out in the wind."
The speed of the fire's spread caught many by surprise.
"It went up faster than I could have ever imagined," Ryan said. "It went up like it was kindling wood ... soaked in gasoline."
The size also caught people by surprise.
"The flames were shooting so incredibly high I thought it was a gas station," said Darlene Hansen, an Escondido resident who had been headed to City Hall when the flames erupted. The 10-year resident of the city said she thinks this is "the worst fire ever in Escondido."
The fire struck just north of the post office and next to a shopping center that houses a Ross Dress for Less and a Smart and Final, as well as a large movie theater complex. It was across and down the street from the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
The blaze wiped out about 50 condominiums in a 12-building complex that was to eventually have 122 units. The beige building with the arched entrances that survived faces Escondido Boulevard. Seven other buildings were yet to get under way.
The Paramount is a central component part of the Escondido City Council's plan to give an economic boost to the city's downtown through residential development. The endeavor has created much debate by city leaders over just how much residential development to allow in the city's core.
A total of 100 firefighters responded to the fire, Reed said. And there were a total of 25 engines on the scene, including all five of Escondido's and 20 others from the cities of San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Poway and Solana Beach, and the fire protection districts of Rancho Santa Fe and Deer Springs, he said.
The Escondido Police Department sent 50 police officers to evacuate the shopping area south of the condos, secure the stores and provide traffic control. Authorities closed sections of Escondido Boulevard and Centre City Parkway between Washington Avenue and Woodward Street and did not plan to reopen those streets until this morning.
The nearby stores are expected to reopen this morning, Reed said.
After the fire broke out, about 70 children from the Classical Academy, a charter school near the building, were evacuated to the nearby Walgreens parking lot.
The fire rained hot chunks of black camp firelike embers over the parking lot south of the condo complex for a couple hours.
The American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties set up two stations, one north of the condo complex and one to the south, to provide the firefighters and police officers with drinks, snacks and a dinner of hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, said Ron Lovick, local Red Cross spokesman.
Lovick said the six Red Cross volunteers planned to stay through the night, if necessary, to continue nourishing the firefighters.
"We're here to make sure they stay hydrated and well fed, so that they can do their job," said volunteer Julie Murray.
Staff writers Paul Eakins, Quinn Eastman, Sarah Wilkins and Patrick Wright contributed to this report.
Republished with permission of The North County Times.
